Easy Fried Polenta Recipe: How to Serve Fried Polenta

Polenta is yellow cornmeal that chefs cook with water, fresh herbs, and cheese—usually Parmesan cheese. A classic Italian comfort food, polenta is creamy and cheesy, and you can serve it as an appetizer, side dish, or main dish.

In grocery stores, you will sometimes also see polenta labeled yellow corn polenta, cornmeal, or quick-cooking polenta. Polenta differs from grits—another creamy corn dish—in that grits uses hominy, or white corn, whereas polenta uses yellow corn. Grits is a popular dish in the southern United States, where it often accompanies shrimp or is a breakfast dish.

You can make fried polenta in a non-stick pot or deep non-stick skillet. While a cook has more control over polenta on the stovetop, making it in a slow cooker is also a popular cooking method since there’s a low chance of scorching.

You should serve soft polenta hot, while it’s soft and creamy, but you can fry leftover polenta in various ways. Here are several reasons to fry leftover creamy polenta:

1. 1. Polenta cakes: To make a polenta cake, spread cooked polenta on a greased or lined baking sheet—or add it to a square baking dish for thicker cakes—and chill it until it becomes firm. Use a round cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out round pieces of polenta. Alternatively, roll slightly firm polenta into a log in a piece of parchment paper, chill it, and cut polenta slices to your desired thickness. Deep-fry the polenta cakes in neutral oil or panfry the cakes in extra-virgin olive oil.
2. 2. Polenta crostini: Crostini are toasted bread slices, usually baguette slices, with toppings like a bruschetta spread, olive tapenade, or other savory ingredients. You can use fried polenta instead of bread for a different take on a classic appetizer. Top the slices with a combination of fresh tomatoes, ricotta cheese, prosciutto, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, olives, or feta cheese.
3. 3. Polenta fries: To make polenta fries, spread the cooked polenta on a greased or lined baking sheet and chill it until it becomes firm. Cut the polenta into strips, about the same size of a French fry. Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat with enough neutral oil (canola or vegetable oil) to submerge the polenta fries. Fry the polenta until it becomes golden brown and crispy. Polenta fries make a good side dish or an appetizer. Serve them with tomato sauce or pesto for dipping.
4. 4. Polenta lasagna: Instead of using pasta sheets for lasagna, you can use very thin polenta. Spread the cooked polenta on parchment paper as thin as a normal lasagna pasta sheet and chill it until it’s firm and somewhat pliable. Panfried polenta sheets can hold up to any sauce, meat, or cheese in the lasagna layers, and they will soften a bit during the cooking process as they soak up juices from the sauce and cheese.
5. 5. Polenta Parmesan: Vegetarians can substitute fried polenta for fried chicken in a chicken Parmesan dish. Spread cooked polenta on a greased or lined baking sheet and chill it until it becomes firm. Cut the polenta into bigger slices—about the same size as a chicken breast. Deep-fry or panfry the polenta slices and top them like you would chicken Parmesan—with marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese.